Not many publications have Clemson football heading to the National Championship in 2021, but Athlon Sports still likes the Tigers’ chances.
Athlon Sports recently published its College Football Bowl Projections for the 2021 season and it should come as no surprise that Clemson was in the final-four.
While most analysts- not all, but most- still have Clemson football making it to the CFB Playoff, the difference is the confidence that Athlon has in the Tigers making a run not just to the playoff, but the National Championship.
They have Clemson beating Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl and they have Alabama beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The result? A Clemson-Alabama rematch for the National Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Clemson football is still a major player in the CFB Playoff hierarchy
Clemson fans should expect over the course of the next few weeks as more and more preseason projections are unveiled that the Tigers aren’t going to be picked to finish atop the College Football landscape.
While many analysts still believe Clemson will be a CFB Playoff contender, they are down on the Tigers because of the loss to Ohio State in the semifinals last year and, to a lesser extent, Clemson’s run in the CFB Playoff the year before that culminated in a close win over the Buckeyes and a blowout loss to LSU in the National Championship.
That being said, there’s no doubt that Clemson is still a major player in the CFB Playoff hierarchy.
The Tigers have been built to compete with the best in the country and they’re going to be involved in the discussion throughout the season.
If they can get back to the playoff- and we believe they will- we’re going to see a more focused and polished effort. Could that result in a National Championship? Only time will tell, but the Tigers certainly have as good of a chance as any.